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The shocking politics of Mehbooba Mufti

What does the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir mean when she asks for a ceasefire? Living with the best security in the world, where others in the Valley face death on a daily basis by terrorists, it is easy for her to play to the galleries and want peace. But she has done little to bring it on her turf.

Everyday we hear news of security forces being killed by terrorists from across the border and within the valley. They are men who want to kill and be killed. Why else would a teacher in a university join up with the terrorists? But to Mehbooba, they are all misguided youth to be given amnesty because she wants to appease the vote bank she has carefully cultivated. She does not even think about the fact that there are families in her constituency who have their sons in the police and the security forces that are being killed at a rapid level.

All she wants to do is to appease the people even when they suffer. As the Army Chief rightly said if the youth in Kashmir valley attack and kill tourists the valley suffers as there will be no tourism. When they attack school buses the families suffer. When they burn down schools the children of the valley suffer. Yet, Mehbooba wants a ceasefire.

I wonder what this means to her. She is so incredibly out of the situation in the valley that she thinks that if there is a total withdrawal of security forces, all religious pilgrimages will be safe!

How very naive and out of touch she is. How very condescending she is is when even tourists are killed or stoned by the very youth she gave amnesty too. Now after more mayhem and death and terror in the valley, she wants a ceasefire?

I would respect this only if she looked Terror in the Face and offered to live without security with the misguided youth she gives amnesty to. This is the least the Chief Minister of a state who has trust in her people should do to bring about peace in the state she rules.

She must face the consequences of her beliefs. If she thinks the valley needs only a soft touch she must go to the 10,000 stone pelters families or send her minions to them to bring about the peace she thinks they are looking for and want desperately.

Just to air views is easy. Unfortunately, this is what the Abdullah and Mufti political families have been doing for decades, in their stronghold. But they speak false words protected by the the Government of India, with security that is denied to the average tourist or child in a school bus. This is arrogance in the extreme.

I urge the Government of India to stop these games and take control of the Kashmir Valley as the present and the past CMs have only brought about more mayhem, when they promised peace.

They want the security forces to protect only them but let local leaders and citizens die at the hands of the very people who they want to make peace with. This is untenable as they do not face the consequences. The people they are supposed to represent have their sons who join the police and security forces are killed randomly.

The killers of her people, to Mufti, are just misguided youth and should be given amnesty! This would never happen in any country in the world.

As the Chief of the Indian Army said, very rightly, that Isreal or American troops would have dealt with this kind of terrorist aggression with much more fire power and that the Indian Army tries to get the terrorists to give themselves up, with no consequences, is in itself a big deal. This does cost lives of security personnel, who are often killed or grievously injured.

Yet, the Chief Minister of the state wants a ceasefire! How absurd is this. It is obvious that she lives in a glass tower. Protected from the mayhem around her. How typical this is in the Valley for the last seven decades.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Blog

The blog will cover current issues ranging from politics to pollution — getting readers to question why India is behind in many aspects. Why do countries like China, Thailand, and Malaysia get more tourism, business and investments? Why do Indians blame history, geography or politicians for all our problems? How can Indians be more responsible? India is one of the most undisciplined countries, but when Indians go abroad they are among the most law abiding people. No Free Lunch will try to provoke readers to debate on how Indians can contribute toward building a better country.

Author

Freelance journalist Ashali Varma has authored the biography of her father late Lt. Gen. PS Bhagat — ‘The Victoria Cross: A Love Story’. She was executive producer with the International Commentary Service Inc, New York in 1990. She was the executive publisher of The Earth Times, New York (1992- 98). She has also worked as the editor of Choices Magazine, United Nations Development Programme. She writes on various issues including human rights, population and sustainable development.

Freelance journalist Ashali Varma has authored the biography of her father late Lt. Gen. PS Bhagat — ‘The Victoria Cross: A Love Story’. She was execu. . .

Blog

The blog will cover current issues ranging from politics to pollution — getting readers to question why India is behind in many aspects. Why do countries like China, Thailand, and Malaysia get more tourism, business and investments? Why do Indians blame history, geography or politicians for all our problems? How can Indians be more responsible? India is one of the most undisciplined countries, but when Indians go abroad they are among the most law abiding people. No Free Lunch will try to provoke readers to debate on how Indians can contribute toward building a better country.

Author

Freelance journalist Ashali Varma has authored the biography of her father late Lt. Gen. PS Bhagat — ‘The Victoria Cross: A Love Story’. She was executive producer with the International Commentary Service Inc, New York in 1990. She was the executive publisher of The Earth Times, New York (1992- 98). She has also worked as the editor of Choices Magazine, United Nations Development Programme. She writes on various issues including human rights, population and sustainable development.

Freelance journalist Ashali Varma has authored the biography of her father late Lt. Gen. PS Bhagat — ‘The Victoria Cross: A Love Story’. She was execu. . .